A New Home
by happynfluffy
Summary: The final battle is over and everyone is alive and well...or are they? One person is missing. My first fanfic. I don't own OUAT. If I did I would be in heaven!


The battle had been long and difficult. The witch was finally defeated but there had been some costs. Emma ran over to where Henry was laying injured. At the last minute one of the monkeys had tried to carry him off and Hook had fought it off. But it had torn three gashes in Henry's shoulder. Everyone worked together to get Henry to a car and whisk him away to the hospital.

Relief washed through Emma as Dr. Whale told her that it was just scratches and that Henry would be fine. They all piled into the hospital room with Henry talking excitedly. After a moment, Emma began to relax and look around the room. David and Mary Margaret were talking quietly in one corner while Regina and Robin listened to Henry's story. Emma stopped short – where was Hook? He had always been there and she just assumed that he was with him but now he was nowhere to be found.

"Where's Hook?" Emma asked. Everyone stopped talking and looked around.

"He was right…" Regina said.

Robin spoke up, "Oh no".

"What?" David asked.

Robin tried to gather his thoughts, "Well, after he fought off Henry's winged assassin, he was grunting slightly and was covered in blood. I assumed it was from the exertion of the fight. What if?" he let the thought linger in the air.

Emma's heart dropped to her stomach. She had been so caught up in Henry that she had not thought to check on anyone else in the fight.

When the monkey had gone straight for Henry, Killian had not thought of anything but protecting the boy he thought of as a son. He ran straight for the winged creature jamming his sword into the monkey's chest. The animal let go of Henry with a shriek. Killian had just told the boy to run when one of the Witch's other minions ran a sword into his side. Killian gasped in pain but twirled and dispatched his attacker with hook and sword. Then a great gush of air, tinged white and purple, rose out from the center of the battle. The witch screamed in agony and was gone along with all her accomplices.

Killian watched as Emma rushed to Henry. He made sure that she and the others got away and then he sank to his knees. His side was throbbing and his only thought was that he needed rest. He slowly made his way to a standing position. He felt if he could just make it to his cot in the library office, he could sleep it off. He was not fond of the hospital and would rather be in more familiar surroundings. The trek was not easy. He battled nausea and dizziness the whole way, catching himself stumbling more than once with muffled curses of "bloody hell".

Finally he made it to the library door. He stumbled inside and to the office hidden in the back corner. He just had time to shrug out of his coat and sit on the cot before the world went black.

Emma ran from the hospital to the docks. A car might have been faster but she did not have time to think about what she was doing. She ran until she saw the spot where the Jolly Roger had been docked last time it was in Storybrooke. Only, it wasn't there. For a moment, she thought Hook had already left now that the witch was gone. However, a part of her insisted that he would not leave like that.

Emma spotted Eric and Ariel near another ship on the docks so she ran over to talk to them.

"Emma", Ariel acknowledged.

Emma caught her breath, "Hey. Do you know where the Jolly Roger is docked? Have you seen Hook?"

Ariel and Eric looked at each other and then Ariel shook her head, "No, we have not seen the ship at all. It hasn't been here since you left. We haven't seen Hook today either, we thought he was with you. Things were a little weird after the battle."

Emma nodded, "Thanks." she was starting to get more worried. _Where was he? Where is his ship?_

Eric called after her, "Tink might know where he is. I see them talking occasionally. Well, she is usually admonishing him for something but they talk nonetheless."

Emma grinned, "Thanks Eric. If either of you see him, please tell him I am looking for him". She started running back towards town. The docks had been her only destination because she had been sure he would seek the comfort of his ship. But if it was not here, then where had he been staying? She had never asked. She was starting to realize that she had not even thought about the impact that this situation had on him. She had taken his help and support without really giving him any consideration.

Emma was so lost in thought that she did not see Tink until they collided.

"Ow, Emma, is everything all right?" Tink asked, rubbing her forehead.

Emma blinked to reset her vision, "Tink, no. Do you know where Hook is? Where has he been staying? Where is the Jolly Roger?"

Tink looked uncomfortable. "Emma, the Jolly Roger isn't here. That is all I will say. He was staying in a lean-to on the beach. But when he helped Belle with the research for Baelfire, she found out about it. She felt bad for him when it started getting cold, so she offered him a cot in the library office. That is where he has been staying for a few weeks now."

"Thanks Tink" Emma turned and walked over to the library.

She tried the door but it seemed to be locked. After a few moments of pondering, she decided that she did not have time to go find Belle. "I'll buy you a new door Belle" she mumbled as she pulled out her gun and shot the lock.

"HOOK" she called out. Nothing. She surveyed the room and found the area of the office. She could smell the sickly sweet scent of blood before she got to the room and had to fight her gag reflex. She rounded the corner and saw him passed out on the cot, blood pooling on the floor.

"Oh my God! Hook!" she knelt beside him checking for a pulse. His heart still beat but his pulse was very faint. "Killian! Can you hear me?"

He mumbled something unintelligible that sounded like _save the boy _but that is all she got from him.

Emma pulled out her phone and called David. He answered and she quickly told him that they needed an ambulance and paramedics at the library asap. She threw the phone down and began checking Killian for his injury. She sighed in frustration as she undid first his belt, then his sword belt and then his vest. For a one-handed pirate, the man had an annoying amount of buckles. Finally, she pulled his shirt out from his pants and lifted it up. She gasped as she saw the long gash in his side, leaking a steady stream of blood. Emma looked around the room for a moment and saw a neat stack of something black. She grabbed the top item and found that it was a shirt. The thought popped into her head, _so he does own more than one_, before she quickly shook out of it and pressed the shirt against the wound.

Killian barely flinched at the touch and she started chewing her lip in frustration. Minutes felt like hours but she finally heard the ambulance and then she shouted "Back here" to the paramedics that had arrived. She let them take over and was only barely aware of the tears falling down her cheeks as they lifted him on the stretcher and hauled him to the ambulance.

"Honey, why don't you sit down for a moment" Mary Margaret asked for what felt like the millionth time.

Emma just gave her a glare and continued pacing. After a moment, she huffed, "This is my fault."

Mary Margaret shook her head sadly, "How is this your fault? You didn't know he was hurt and that pirate is so stubborn. He could have asked for help."

"And just who would he have asked?" Emma yelled. Then she calmly said, "None of us even cared to check on anyone but Henry. We just took for granted all those that were helping us. And Henry was not mortally wounded, just scratches. What about those who didn't make it today? Do we even know who was lost?"

"David is checking on everyone now. He realized that we should check on the others when you ran out of here to find Hook." Mary Margaret said in a quiet voice.

Emma looked at her mother and crumpled into a chair, "Mar – Mom, I am sorry. I just…I feel responsible." She threw her hand up at Mary Margaret's intake of breath, "Just hear me out. I feel like I took all his help for granted. He has done nothing but help us time and again. And what does he get for it? We remind him he is a pirate instead of applauding his efforts to be a hero. We tell him he hasn't changed when the reality is that he has done nothing but change. We accuse him of only thinking of himself when we all know that he probably has not done anything for himself in a long time. Did you know the Jolly Roger is not in Storybrooke? Do you know where he has been sleeping?"

"No, I never thought to ask. I just assumed he was on his ship when he was not with us" Mary Margaret sounded a little taken aback.

"Exactly!" Emma was getting animated again "He was sleeping on the beach!"

Mary Margaret gasped, "But it has been freezing out there!"

Emma fought the tears that threatened to spill. "I know. Apparently Belle found out about his sleeping arrangements and offered a space in the library for him to stay. It was sparse but you could see that he tried to keep it neat and orderly. You could see…" she trailed off as she could no longer get past the lump in her throat.

Mary Margaret leaned over and embraced Emma in a hug as much as her belly would allow. "Emma, sweetie, it will be ok. As I said, he is stubborn. He made it until you found him and he will pull through this too. You told me once, he always comes back. He will do so this time, you will see."

Just then Dr. Whale cleared his throat. Emma looked up, swiped at her face and then stood to talk to him.

"The good news is that you got to him before he bled to death," Dr. Whale started, "The bad news is that he lost a lot of blood and also has some swelling on his brain. We have given him a transfusion and have him in an induced coma to see if we can bring the swelling down."

"Will he recover?" Emma asked, the fear lacing her voice.

"The next 48 hours are crucial Emma. If the swelling does not subside, he may not make it through. If we can control that, there is a good chance that with rest and rehab, he will make a full recovery. But no swashbuckling pirate adventures for a long time." Dr. Whale attempted to joke but it fell flat.

Emma just nodded. "Can we see him?"

Dr. Whale looked at Mary Margaret as she slowly nodded her head to him. "Yes, but only one person at a time." He started to walk away but stopped and turned around again, "Emma, it might help if you talk to him like your mother did with your father." And with that he turned and left them alone again.

The next few days were a blur. They took on shifts with even Henry volunteering because in his words "Killian is a great guy and he would do this for me." Which had left Emma a little breathless. Emma fought the anxiety as the hours passed with no improvement in Hook…no, Killian's condition. The constant whir of the machines and the steady heartbeat monitor were all that kept her sane. She would not lose hope. He had always believed in her and now she would believe in him. It was nearing the end of the second day. The sun had set and she was sitting in the darkness of his room, illuminated only by the lights from the machines keeping him alive. She felt like she had been rambling for hours.

"You know I was really sorry I left you on that beanstalk. I just couldn't trust myself to trust you. I wonder what would have turned out differently if I had given you that chance. How much of this mess we could have all avoided. I trust you now. More than you will ever know. Just please wake up." Emma was once again fighting tears. She thought they had all run dry by now. She continued, "I'm so sorry for pushing you away and not letting you in. I won't do it ever again. I need you to come back to me. To let me make it up to you."

She leaned over and placed a soft kiss on his lips, "Killian, please come back. I love you."

Just as she sat back in her chair, David walked in. "Hey, any change?" he asked hopefully.

Emma just sighed. "No, not yet."

"Well why don't you go home and get some sleep. I am sure it will be soon" He patted her shoulder sympathetically.

"The time is almost up. Whale said 48 hours. What if…" Emma did not want to finish her thought.

David wrapped her in a hug, "Let's not think that. He once reminded me that us "Hero" types always believed in hope. We have to cling to that."

Dr. Whale walked in and began checking charts and monitors. Emma held her breath. Dr. Whale was looking at the brain scan, "Hmmm."

"What?" Both Emma and David asked at the same time.

"Well, " Dr. Whale started, "it appears that the swelling has started to reduce. Also, about ten minutes ago there was a marked improvement in his brain activity. Emma, did you notice anything?"

"No, I was just talking as I have been" Emma felt a blush coming but hoped the darkness in the room covered it.

"If the activity continues to improve at this rate, we can pull him out of the coma in a few more hours." Dr Whale stated and left the room.

"See, hope. I told you it would be alright." David was smiling at her. "Go get some rest. I will call you if they decide to wake the old man up."

Emma chuckled at the joke. "I think this time I will just sleep on the couch in here. You go home and be with mom." David started to leave. "And dad?" David turned around, one tear escaping his eye. "Thanks".

"Anytime sweetheart". David smiled and left the room.

It was early morning and the sun was starting to rise. A beautiful sky was painted over the town and the first rays were filtering into the hospital room. Emma opened her eyes and stretched. Dr. Whale had woken her up in the early morning hours to tell her that they were removing the sedative that was keeping Killian in a coma. He had told her it could be up to ten more hours before he woke up and that she should go back to sleep. She glanced over to his bed to see him staring back at her. She jumped up with a start and quickly moved to his side.

"Hey. How long have you been awake? How are you feeling?" She asked.

He started to speak but his throat was really raspy. He started again "Thought I was in heaven. Saw an angel in my room with a golden halo of blond hair." He half smirked which was all he could muster in his state.

"You are not dead" Emma flatly stated.

"Dreaming then? Emma, don't cry darling" Killian felt bad for making her cry.

Tears were streaming down her face and she was shaking. She grasped his hand and threaded her fingers through it. "I'm so glad you are not dead. And you are awake. How do you feel?"

Killian closed his eyes for a moment, silently reveling in the warmth of her hand in his. He opened them and growled, "Like I was bloody thrown to the mermaids and spit back out again."

Emma laughed at that. "You almost died. You lost a lot of blood. You have been in here for almost 3 days now. What on earth possessed you to stay away from the hospital? Why didn't you ask for help?"

Killian thought for a moment. "I saw that Henry was safe and that everyone was otherwise occupied. It was a scratch. Thought I could take care of it myself. Not bother anyone."

"A SCRATCH! You stupid, iditiotic, stubborn…pi…MAN!" Emma yelled out. "You could have died. Do you know what that would have done to everyone? What that would have done to me?" she almost whimpered on the last part, her voice breaking.

He squeezed her hand. "No love. I didn't think it would matter. Your family is safe. Your boy seemed to be all right if slightly injured. You are free to go back home and live your life." The pain and hurt in his eyes were evident as he said this last part. He remembered that she wanted to leave Storybrooke and pretend this never happened.

"First, when the witch died, everyone got their memory back. And somehow it restored Henry's. He is not stuck like glue to his "lost" family. I don't even think the promise of all the free video games in the world would make him leave here." She took a deep breath. "And second…second…" She was having a hard time spitting it out now that he was awake.

"Second what darling?" He asked, the hope and longing evident in his voice.

"I love you" She said in a rush.

He gasped in shock. Had he heard what she said or what he wanted to hear. "What?"

"You heard me Killian. I love you. I don't want you to die or go away or to leave you because it would mean that a part of me is missing. I love you and I would not let myself believe it. I almost lost you and the fear of that has kept me frozen for days. That I might never get to tell you. That I might never get to apologize for everything I have done to push you away. I was so scared that you would die never knowing what you meant to me and how much I appreciated everything you have done for me and my family."

"Emma" the words stuck in his throat, "I love you. I will always fight my way back to you until my last breath. I'm sorry I put you through this pain. Can you forgive me?"

Emma laughed a little and leaned down and placed a quick kiss on his lips. "Just this once" she joked, "But you must tell me one thing"

"As you wish" he said.

"Where is the Jolly Roger?" Emma asked.

"Love" he began "Can we wait for another time? She is not here."

Emma was about to protest when Dr. Whale came into the room.

It had been 3 weeks since the battle. It had been two weeks since Killian had been released from the hospital. Emma had insisted that he come home with her. Too weak to put up a real fight, Killian had agreed. David and Mary Margaret had graciously taken up a room at Granny's and given Emma the downstairs bed for Killian. Emma had every intention of separate sleeping arrangements, but after about 30 minutes of tossing and turning, she had slipped into the bed next to Killian, lulled to sleep by his breathing. She had awoken to one of the best nights of sleep she had experienced in a long while. Her arm rested on his hip, careful of his wound, and her front was pressed to his back. He had grabbed her hand when he woke and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. They had slept in the same bed since that night and it just felt right to Emma.

This morning, she had gotten up and decided to fix Killian his favorite breakfast. She was just finishing up the tray when she heard him waking.

"Good morning love, that smells wonderful" Killian smiled at her, his bed hair sending shivers down her spine.

"Morning. I thought you might like a treat" She smiled and brought the tray over.

Killian took a bite of bacon and gave a sinful moan. "That is heavenly Emma"

Emma cocked her head. She was ready to ask him again and the breakfast was her way of softening the blow. "I'm glad you like it. Now, I would like to know something"

Killian eyed her suspiciously. "Anything, just ask."

"Where is the Jolly Roger? I know that is your home and yet it is not here and you do not seem to be searching for it. So where is it?" Emma asked.

Killian just sighed and scratched behind his ear. He ran a hand through his hair and then looked up at her. "She is gone. She is no longer my home. I gave her up." He stated simply.

"Gave her up? How? Why?" Emma was surprised.

"I think you know why. I had to get back to you. I had to save you. The Jolly Roger was the only thing of any great value that I owned. The memory potion was costly and the way back even more so, therefore I gave up the Jolly."

"For me? But why? That was your most valued possession?" Emma had more tears forming in her eyes.

Killian swiped a tear off her cheek, "You are worth more to me than any possession I own. I would give all I have and more for you."

Emma could hardly breathe. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I told you that I would win your heart without trickery. I don't want you to feel obligated to love me. I gave it up for you but I don't want you to feel like it requires reciprocation. It was my choice and not yours." He was being honest with her. He wanted her heart to be given freely to him.

Emma was stunned. "Killian, you have my heart. You won it fair and square. This only enhances my love for you, it does not force it. Thank you for giving up your home for me."

"You are my new home love. Wherever you go, I will follow. Emma, I love you. More than words will ever be able to express."

"I love you too" Emma said and leaned in to give Killian a kiss. As their lips met, a gentle warm wave of magic swept through Storybrooke and all the residents hearts were lifted as the magic of true love glowed through them. Emma and Killian felt it the strongest and the passion of the kiss rivaled that of Neverland.

"That was.." he began.

"Only the beginning." She replied with a smile and drew him in for another kiss.


End file.
